This invention relates to a disposable diaper for absorption and containment of excretion, and more particularly, to a disposable diaper having a three-dimensional section for receiving feces.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1993-305109 describes a disposable diaper in which a topsheet intended to come in contact with the wearer""s skin is formed in its central zone with an opening shaped to be relatively long as viewed in its longitudinal direction. The opening is provided along its peripheral edge with an elastic element adapted to be elastic in the longitudinal direction.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1996-322878 describes a disposable diaper in which a liquid-absorbent core is divided in a crotch region in longitudinally front and rear sections spaced from each other by a desired distance. In the space left between these two sections, a topsheet and a backsheet are jointed to each other and a pair of flaps extend transversely to cover the space.
The diaper described in the Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1993-305109 intends to ensure that excretion discharged on the diaper reliably flows into the opening. However, such intention can not necessarily be achieved when the excretion is in the form of loose passage because, even if discharged onto the crotch region or the rear waist region of the diaper, such loose passage may spread over the topsheet into the front waist region and soil the urinogenital organs.
The diaper described in the Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1996-322878 intends to prevent loose passage from flowing into the front waist region. However, it is impossible for this known diaper to confine such loose passage in the vicinity of the spot onto which the loose passage has been discharged. As a result, the loose passage may spread over the topsheet in the crotch and rear waist regions.
An object of this invention is provide a disposable diaper that is designed so that body wastes discharged thereon is reliably prevented not only from flowing into the front waist region but also from flowing and/or spreading in the crotch and rear waist regions.
According to this invention, there is provided a disposable diaper having a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region therebetween, the diaper comprising: a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core therebetween; a pair of elasticized gasket cuffs longitudinally extending outward from transversely opposite side edges of the core; a pair of elasticized barrier cuffs longitudinally extending adjacent the gasket cuffs on an upper surface of the diaper; and a feces receiving section extending at least partially across the crotch and the rear waist regions between the barrier cuffs, wherein the feces receiving section is defined by a pair of elasticized first barrier flaps transversely opposed to and spaced from each other and extending longitudinally of the diaper and a pair of elasticized second barrier flaps longitudinally opposed to and spaced each other and extending transversely between the first barrier flaps and connecting to the first barrier flaps.